Free Republic

The Dubrovnik Times reports that an archaeological team from the Dubrovnik Museums recently uncovered 4,000 years of human occupation in the Crno Jezero ("Black Lake") Cave. The 780-foot-long cavern snakes its way 300 feet underground near the village of Ponikve on the Pelješac peninsula. The excavations highlighted the different ways that local peoples used the cave from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. During the second millennium b.c., the cave was mostly used for temporary or seasonal housing, especially during periods of conflict or inclement weather. From the ninth to the sixth century b.c., the space was transformed into...

When Justinian secured the so-called "Eternal Peace" with the Persians in AD 532 after the Battle of Daras, it is likely that he realized that the peace on his eastern frontier would not actually be perpetual. But he probably thought it would last longer that seven or eight years. In any event, the emperor made the most the respite, gathering his substantial forces from the east which had previously been on station to face down the Persian menace, and readying them for a thrust to the West. His first target was the Vandal Kingdom which had ruled Roman Africa for...

Marine archaeologists began studying the 39-foot-long vessel—nicknamed the "Zambratija boat" because of its location in the Bay of Zambratija—after hearing reports from local fishermen in 2008. Researchers were surprised to learn the vessel dated to between the 12th and 10th centuries B.C.E, which they say makes it the oldest entirely hand-sewn boat in the Mediterranean.Workers painstakingly constructed the vessel by using flexible fibers to stitch together pieces of wood. While that technique was popular around the world both before and after the introduction of metal components, researchers say the Zambratija boat is unique because it's a rare surviving example of...

May 9 is one of several possible dates given for the death of the last Western Roman emperor, Julius Nepos, in the year AD 480. “Wait,” you say. “I thought the last Western Emperor was Romulus Augustulus who was deposed by Odoacer the Scirian in AD 476.” Well, about that... Julius Nepos was named Western Emperor by the ailing Eastern Roman emperor Leo in AD 473. Leo did this because he opposed the puppet emperor Glycerius who had been raised by the Burgundian general Gundobad. According to the Chronicle of John of Antioch, this Gundobad had personally beheaded the Western...

Most people are aware of the famous vision seen by Constantine the Great of a cross in the sky with the words, "In hoc signo, vinces" — by this sign you will conquer. Having seen this miraculous vision, Constantine would cause his soldiers to march under Christian symbols, be victorious in his wars, and eventually convert to Christianity. Many citizens of the Roman Empire would follow him. But not all. During the reign of Constantine's sons, paganism continued to be practiced throughout the empire. Indeed, thanks to the weak rule and the rumored personal scandals of Constans, a pagan usurper...

ZAGREB, Croatia, Oct. 29 (JTA) — The primary image of European Jews during World War II is of sickly prisoners stuck in ghettos and concentration camps. But in Croatia, Jews are remembering a group that turned that stereotype on its head. Two recent events honored a little-known but heroic World War II story: a Jewish combat battalion made up of inmates of a former Italian-run concentration camp on the Croatian island of Rab. The Rab Jewish battalion — originally 245 Jews aged 15-30 with little military training, and one medical unit with 35 girls who offered to serve as nurses...

Doctors, dentists go on one-day strike demanding salary hikes ZAGREB, Croatia - Doctors and dentists employed in the public sector went on a one-day strike across Croatia Friday, demanding pay hikes of over double the average salary. As many as 13,000 doctors and dentists were believed to take part in the strike which started at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and was to end at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), a statement from the Croatian Physicians´ Union said. Doctors said medical care and treatment of patients would not be neglected during the strike, suggesting strikers were taking turns to ensure adequate staffing....